You Belong With Me
by Emma8745
Summary: Rachel, Finn, and Puck were best friends from the beginning, at least until Rachel had to move half way across the country. When Rachel suddenly moves back four years later, will Finn still see her as his childhood best friend, or will it be much, much more? -Finchel A/U.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so here's the game plan. I've been tossing around some idea for the sequel of ****_The Mystery Texter_****, and I still haven't come up with a good direction for it yet, so I am postponing it for just a little bit longer. ****_Love Me for Me_**** is about half way done as of right now, and I'm a little stumped on writing the next chapter, so I decided to start this fanfic that I have been thinking about for a while now. Christmas break is getting close (two weeks away) so I'm sure I'll have time to juggle two fanfics. **

**I'm going to tell you all now, that ****ENDGAME IS FINCHEL****. There is some slight Puckleberry in this story, but it is mostly friendship between them. I just don't want anyone to get the wrong idea in this story.**

**I don't own glee, unfortunately. **

* * *

A six-year-old Rachel Berry swung as high as she could on the playground swing set during recess. Being only six, as high as she could go wasn't very high up, but Rachel still felt like she was flying. She pretended to be a bird, floating through the air, soaring through the trees, and leaving the world behind. She closed her eyes, and felt the wind go through her hair.

_"Hey!"_

Rachel's fantasy was abruptly interrupted by a voice behind her. She opened her eyes, but made no effort to slow down her swinging. It was Dave Karofsky, the school bully. He was a third grader who even frightened the fourth graders!

"Yes?" Rachel asked sweetly, following her daddy's advice of even being nice to the mean kids.

"That's my swing," Dave said. "Give it up."

"I was here first," Rachel replied, not intending on giving the swing up. "And I don't recall seeing your name written on the swing anywhere. It belongs to the school. Wait your turn." She turned forward again and closed her eyes, thinking of the wonderful life of a bird once more. Suddenly her dream of flying became a reality as she felt a large force on her back and she was flying for real. Her eyes shot open just in time to see the ground nearing her face. Before she could react she landed on the hard ground with a thud. She saw that her hands and elbows had deep scratches on them, as well as her knees. Rachel lifted a dirty hand and wiped away the tears that were starting to form in her eyes.

Dave just laughed from behind her and took a seat on the swing, not even bothering to see if Rachel was okay.

Rachel started to stand up when she saw a hand extended towards her to help her back to her feet. She gladly took the hand and stood back up, suddenly standing face to face with two boys from the grade above her.

"Are you okay?" the one who had helped her up asked, looking at her injuries.

"I'm all right," Rachel replied, swiping some of the dirt from her dress. "Thank you for helping me, that Dave is the worst."

"Yeah, I'm surprised you didn't know that was his swing," the other boy commented. "I thought everyone knew not to sit there."

Rachel looked between the two buys in front of her. "I am Rachel, by the way." She smiled brightly at them as she waited for their response.

"I'm Puck, and this is my best pal, Finn," one of the boys said. Rachel looked at the boy called Finn and thanked him once again for helping her up off the ground. She then looked back at the boy called Puck.

"What kind of name is Puck?" she asked with a wrinkle of her nose.

"His real name is Noah Puckerman," Finn told her, "but he likes to go by Puck."

"My older cousin says it's cooler that way," Puck explained further.

Rachel nodded in understanding. "Well, I prefer Noah because it is such a wonderful name, and it's a shame it has to go to waste."

Puck gave her a funny look before finally speaking, "You're weird. I like it. You can stick with us from now on, right Hudson?"

The taller boy agreed and smiled shyly at Rachel, "Yeah. You can stick with us."

Rachel's smile grew even wider. She never had a friend before, let alone two. She had a feeling that being friends with these boys was going to be a good thing, a really good thing.

"How about we help you get to the nurse's office?" Finn suggested, allowing Rachel to grab on to his shoulder to help her walk to the school building. The three of them walked inside together, and instantly became the best of friends.

* * *

As the three of them grew older, their friendship only grew stronger. It was as if the three of them had an unbreakable bond, and they were inseparable. As Rachel grew older, she slowly started to think of Finn as a little more than just a friend, but she was always too shy to act on her feelings. She was scared of the consequences, and what about Puck? Would he feel left out? Rachel also took the age difference into question, sure it was only one year, but at their school everyone always seemed to stay within their own grade level. The other students already thought it was strange enough that Finn and Puck were friends with a girl in the grade below them.

Rachel remembered the turning point in her relationship with Finn very clearly. It was a day she would remember for the rest of her life. It was a Finn's thirteenth birthday party. The party was being held in the basement, and Finn's mother stayed upstairs on the main floor, so all the kids were alone.

Puck chugged the rest of his cream soda and placed the empty bottle in the middle of the floor. "Okay," he said loudly so everyone could here, "whose up for a little spin the bottle?"

Everyone became excited by the suggestion and sat in a circle around the bottle. Rachel walked nervously up to the group and sat down in between Mercedes, a girl she knew from the school's choir, and Santana, a girl she had seen wandering around the school hallways with Puck from time to time. Rachel was very nervous because she had never had her first kiss before, and spin the bottle wasn't exactly a game for a kiss novice.

"Give me the bottle, Puckerman!" Santana exclaimed, lunging out to the middle of the circle and spinning the bottle forcefully. Everyone watched in anticipation, waiting to see whom Santana would have to kiss. The bottle spun around and around, and eventually came to a stop in front of a blonde boy named Sam Evans. Rachel had seen Sam a few times at school before, but she wasn't very familiar with the boy. By the look that Santana was giving Sam, Rachel figured that Santana wasn't the biggest fan of the boy.

"Trouty Mouth?" Santana said in disgust, wrinkling her face. She eyed him for a second before leaning in towards him. "Don't you dare swallow me," she warned, inching closer to him. Santana kissed him, and pushed him back to deepen the kiss causing everyone else to whistle and cheer them on. Santana ended the kiss, making a loud popping sound and returned back to her seat beside me. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how it's done."

Rachel watched the girl enviously, wishing she could have that kind of confidence in her. Her thoughts soon vanished, however, when she saw Puck crawl into the middle of the circle and spin the bottle. Rachel hoped that the bottle wouldn't land on her. She loved Puck, but as a friend. He lacked maturity, had a dirty mind, and Rachel did not want him to be her first kiss. Her eyes wandered over to Finn, and she couldn't help but think that he would be a great first kiss. He was so kind, and sweet. He was nice to everyone, and had such a big heart. Rachel stopped her staring when she realized that the bottle stopped spinning, and was pointed towards Mercedes. Rachel let out a breath, being relieved that the bottle had stopped just short of her.

Mercedes groaned and inched towards the center of the circle, "Okay, white boy, let's make this quick."

"What? You afraid of Puckzilla?" Puck asked her, moving towards her as well.

"Not even close," Mercedes replied, pressing her lips onto his. She broke the kiss after a second, making everyone else groan. "Sorry, guys, that's all you're getting this round." She maneuvered herself back to her spot and sat down.

"Who's next?" Sam asked the group, looking at everyone.

"I think the birthday boy should go," Mercedes volunteered, motioning for Finn to enter the inside of the circle.

"Yeah, come on, Hudson, get in here!" Santana exclaimed, waving Finn over.

Finn chuckled, and leaned towards the bottle, "Fine, I'll go." He gave it a spin, and sat back as he waited for the bottle to choose his fate.

Rachel leaned forward as she watched the bottle spin around, growing impatient with every spin. She shifted around as the bottle started to slow down. It became slower and slower with every turn, gradually making one final sweep around the circle. Eventually the bottle moved at an unbearable speed and finally came to a stop in front of Rachel.

Rachel's eyes slowly moved up to meet Finn's and she bit her lip nervously as he stared at her. She felt Santana nudge her forward, and Rachel slowly moved towards Finn. She was having a hard time believing that it was reality, that she was actually about to kiss Finn Hudson, her best friend of six years.

Once Rachel was only a few inches away from Finn, she froze, waiting for him initiate the rest. She watched as Finn inched towards her and she let her eyes fall closed as she waited for his lips to touch her own. However, the kiss never came, instead she heard the sound of the basement door opening as Rachel opened her eyes. She soon realized that Finn's mom was coming down to the basement and she sat beside Finn on the floor. She watched at Puck grabbed the bottle and set it on the table beside him.

"Who wants some birthday cake?" Mrs. Hudson asked cheerfully as she descended the stairs. She was carrying a large chocolate cake and gently set it down on the table. Everyone quickly got up to admire the cake except for Finn and Rachel. Rachel glanced over at Finn to see that he was already staring at her with an unreadable expression. Just as Rachel was about to ask him why he was staring at her, his mother spoke up again. "Finn, honey, come and help me cut the cake."

Finn stood up and extended a hand to help Rachel up off the floor. When Rachel was stood up and ready to go to the cake, she realized that Finn had no intention of dropping her hand. He continued to hold her hand as they walked over to the table, and Rachel had no objections to the action.

For the first time Rachel thought that maybe, just maybe, Finn felt the same way about her.

* * *

As Finn's thirteenth birthday party was coming to a close, Rachel's fathers were the first to come by the house to pick her up. When Finn's mother announced that Rachel's fathers were waiting in the driveway, Finn offered to walk Rachel to the door. The two of them walked up the stairs and to the front door of Finn's house.

"Thank you for coming tonight," Finn said to her.

"Thank you for inviting me, I had a lovely time," Rachel replied, smiling sweetly at him. The two of them stood silently for a moment, neither knowing exactly what to say.

"Rachel, about earlier," Finn began. "I just want you to know that I did really want to-"

Rachel, suddenly feeling extremely bold, cut Finn off by quickly pressing her lips to his. She felt him tense at first, but soon he kissed her back, and Rachel smiled against his lips. She pulled back, still smiling, "I'll see you later, Finn."

Rachel slipped out the door and headed out to the car, waving goodbye to Finn as she climbed into the back seat.

"Hello, darling," her dad greeted her, starting the car again and backing out of the driveway. "Did you have a nice time at the party?"

Rachel smiled, thinking of the kiss rather than the actual party, "It was amazing, Dad."

"That's great," her dad replied. "Your father and I actually have some more great news for you when we get home!"

Rachel snapped out of her fantasy, "Great news? Can't you tell me now?"

Her daddy chuckled, "I'm sure you can wait until we get home, Rachel. It's only a few minutes away after all."

"But a few minutes will take forever!" Rachel exclaimed. "Do I really have to wait?"

"Yes," her dad told her, "But it will be worth the wait. You'll love the surprise, I promise."

As soon as the Berry's arrived home, Rachel practically dragged her fathers inside the house. Once they were in the family room she had them sit down on the couch to deliver the news.

"I can hardly stand it!" Rachel said dramatically. "Please tell me! You know how I hate surprises!"

"Rachel," her daddy said calmly, "Settle down and we will tell you."

Rachel did as she was instructed and took a seat across from them, waiting to hear the incredible news.

"Rachel," her dad began. "Do you remember how last month I was very upset because Bruce Zeeno received the promotion I wanted?"

Rachel nodded, "Yes, I remember. What about it?"

"Well, it turns out that Bruce wasn't suited for the job. He ended up getting fired last week," her dad explained further.

"Okay," Rachel responded, becoming bored with her father's story. How was this incredible news? Shouldn't they feel bad for a guy that just lost his job?

"Because they don't have anyone for the job anymore, I got a call today, and they are offering me the promotion instead!" her dad exclaimed.

"Really!? Dad, that's amazing!" Rachel cheered, jumping up to give her dad a congratulatory hug.

"Yes, I start next Monday!" her dad continued on. "I know it's soon, but if we hurry up and start packing I'm sure we can be there by next week. You're father and I already contacted your school, and we've started looking at hotel to stay in while we search for a new house down there."

"Wait," Rachel said, stopping her dad from speaking. "What do you mean packing?"

"Rachel," her daddy said, "The job is in California, remember?"

"California?" Rachel asked them, "but we can't leave Ohio! What about school? What about my friends? What about… _Finn_?" It dawned on her then that she wouldn't be able to see Finn anymore. "Dads, we can't leave!" Rachel felt tears coming out of her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Rachel, but our decision is final," her dad said, seeming to be upset that Rachel was unhappy.

"I hate this!" Rachel cried, running past them and up to her bedroom.

"Rachel!" her dad called after her, but Rachel was already up the stairs.

* * *

Later on that night, Rachel couldn't fall asleep. She tossed and turned, but sleep never came to her. All she could think about was Finn forgetting about her. She imagined moving to California while Finn stayed in Ohio, meeting some other girl and falling for her. Rachel wanted to scream. Just as things were finally working out between her and Finn her dads had to go and screw everything up.

Rachel sat up in bed. She _needed_ to see Finn. She didn't care that it was around 1 A.M., she had to see him. Rachel got out of bed and quickly got dressed. She snuck down the stairs of the house and made a quick exit, and ran off into the night. She ran down the streets of Lima, Ohio, thanking the Lord that she only lived a few blocks from Finn's house.

Rachel sighed in relief as Finn's house came into view, and she quickened her pace to get there sooner. She circled around to the back of the house to where Finn's bedroom was located. There was a large tree placed beside his second story bedroom, and she climbed up until she was right beside Finn's window. She knocked on the glass until she saw a light turn on through the curtains. The curtains slowed cracked open and Finn's face came into view. He looked relieved when he saw that it was only Rachel.

Finn opened the window quickly, "Rachel," he whispered, "What are you doing here?"

"I needed to see you, Finn," Rachel replied. "Can I come inside?"

"Yeah, of course," Finn replied, helping her climb in through the window. Once Rachel was inside his bedroom he spoke again, "Why are you here at 1 in the morning?"

"I'm moving, Finn," Rachel blurted out. "I'm moving to California next week. My dad got a promotion."

"Y-y-you're moving to California?" Finn stammered, not wanting to believe what he just heard.

Rachel nodded, "Yes, and I don't know what to do. I mean, I can't leave Ohio behind. My school is here, my friends are here, and… you're here."

Finn took a deep breath and sat down on his bed, patting the spot next to him for her to sit down. Rachel sat down beside him and watched as Finn took her had in his, interlacing their fingers together. Rachel rested her head on his shoulders and wiped a stray tear from her eyes.

"I don't know what's going to happen with us, but I do know that I really like you Rachel. I don't want to lose you like this," Finn said.

Rachel looked up into his eyes, "I'm going to miss you, Finn."

"I know, I'm going to miss you too," Finn replied, running a finger along her knuckles.

"You're not allowed to forget about me," Rachel warned him.

"Never," Finn promised her. "I don't know when, but we will be together someday, Rachel."

Rachel rested her head on his shoulder again and let his words sink in. They would be together. _Someday._

* * *

**Be sure to leave a review! Tell me what you guys think of the story so far. Continue or not at all?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own glee**

**Chapter TWO:**

* * *

Rachel fluffed the curly waves in her hair and gazed at her appearance in her bedroom mirror. She fixed each individual wave before she put on a thin layer of hairspray. When she was satisfied, she turned away from the mirror and looked at all the unpacked boxes scattered around on her bedroom floor. It was going to take her forever to make her room look the same way it did all those years ago.

The Berry family lived in California for four years before her dad's job position was transferred back to Ohio. Of course, the new job happened just as Rachel was becoming comfortable in the state of California. The state had never been one of her favorites, so naturally it took her a while before she was able to settle in. She wasn't a big fan of Hollywood's inaccurate portrayal of reality. So, when she discovered that her family was returning to Ohio, she couldn't have been more thrilled.

The house that the Berry's owned before the move to Ohio happened to be for sale upon their return. The Berry's quickly made an irresistible offer on the house, and soon enough, Rachel found herself living in the same house she grew up in.

Rachel heard a knocking sound coming from the door, and turned to see her dad standing outside of the door frame. Rachel offered him a friendly smile and invited him in to her bedroom. Her dad walked into the room and took a seat on the edge of her bed.

"What's up, Dad?" Rachel asked, moving some boxes around to make the room seem a little more presentable.

"It's a little strange being back here, isn't it?" her dad commented, watching Rachel move the boxes around in the corner of the room.

"Yeah," Rachel agreed, "I grew up here but it feels so different. It's almost like I don't belong here anymore."

Her dad nodded, "Do you're friends know you're back?"

Rachel stopped her box rearranging and turned back to her dad. She shook her head slowly, wondering why he would even bring them up into conversation.

"Why don't you give them a call? I'm sure Finn and Noah would be ecstatic to see you again," her dad said. "You three used to be like the three musketeers."

Rachel gave her dad a knowing look. "Dad, you know I can't do that…" he voice trailed off as she lowered her eyes to the floor.

"Well why not?" her dad asked her. "You haven't seen them in four years! I think it would be nice for you to see them again. You three do have a lot of history."

Rachel didn't say anything; she just kept her eyes trained on the floor.

Her dad stood up from the bed. "Just think about it, okay? Don't shut them out of your life."

Rachel nodded as she watched her dad leave the room. As soon as he was gone she collapsed on her bed. Truthfully, throughout the past four years, not a day went by that she didn't think about her friends, especially Finn. At first, she talked to Puck and Finn on the phone all the time. She was sure to talk to Puck at least once a week, but she and Finn talked everyday. Even with the time difference, she was sure to always have Finn in her life. She texted him all night long sometimes while he was at school, just to be able to talk to him. On the weekends their phone calls would last forever as they shared everything that happened between them. Rachel told him all about the school play she auditioned for and Finn told her all about his football tryouts. Rachel got the lead role in the play and Finn made quarterback. As their lives became busier and busier with schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and friends, Finn, Puck, and Rachel found it to be harder and harder to keep up with their constant chats. Rachel first noticed the lack of contact with Puck when their weekly conversations changed to monthly conversations. Eventually, their contact ceased to exist at all. Her contact with Finn, however, remained strong, no matter how difficult it was. Unfortunately, even though Rachel was determined to keep a hold on her strong relationship with Finn, he seemed to contribute a smaller amount of effort with each phone call. He would always end calls quickly saying he had a football practice to get to, or that a friend was coming over. Soon, half the time that Rachel called she only reached his voicemail. Eventually, Rachel stopped trying, and resulted to sobbing in the arms of her dads, wondering what she did wrong. The last words she shared with Finn that night in his bedroom still echoed through her head.

_"You're not allowed to forget about me."_

_"Never."_

Rachel stuffed her face into her pillow.

What a load of crap.

* * *

"I'm heading out," Rachel announced to her fathers, slipping into her shoes. Her dad had a hopeful look, but Rachel stopped him from becoming too excited. "I'm just going to look around and see what's changed around here in the past four years."

Her dad's face fell, but her daddy seemed glad that she was getting out of the house. "Have fun, darling," her daddy said, waving goodbye to her as she walked out he door.

Rachel walked out into the streets of Lima and strolled towards the town. She realized that she could have taken her car, but the weather was nice and Lima wasn't a very big place. She made her way out of the suburbs of Lima and started to get into the downtown area. Just as she remembered, the first thing one saw when entering the actual town was William McKinley High School. She remembered visiting the high school for concerts and such when she was in the middle school and below, but she had never actually attended the high school. She wondered what could possibly happen on Monday morning when she walked through those doors. No one had seen her in four years, and no one knew she was back either.

What would she do when she saw Finn and Puck? Her dad was right, they did have a lot of history. History that was impossible to ignore. She shook off the thought and continued walking towards the high school, quickly deciding to walk around the perimeter to see what kind of place she would be attending.

As Rachel got closer and closer to the school she heard a loud commotion coming from the building. She hurried over to where the noise was coming from. As one of the side walls of the school came into view, she saw a boy tossing eggs at one of the windows. A very familiar boy tossing eggs, that is. She smiled, thinking that things never changed. Of course, if anyone would be vandalizing the school it would be Noah Puckerman.

Rachel took in his changed appearance. He really did change a lot over the past four years. His shoulders were broader, and he had grown a few inches taller. His hair was shaved into a Mohawk, and Rachel shook her head because the look was just so… _Puck._

She finally decided it was time to stop him from his egg throwing and she approached him, clearing his throat to get his attention.

Puck glanced at her for a second, intending to go back to his previous task, but he had to do a double take at the girl he just saw. He placed his egg carton on the ground and approached the girl who interrupted his mission. "Rachel Berry?"

Rachel smiled and held her arms out at her sides, "In the flesh."

Puck walked the rest of the way to her and wrapped her up into a huge hug, welcoming her back to Lima with glee. "What are you doing here?" he asked her, pulling away from their hugs. "Aren't you supposed to be in California?"

"My dad got transferred back to Ohio. We even managed to get the same house again," Rachel explained. "I'm staying here for good."

"That's' awesome, Rachel!" Puck exclaimed. "This is so weird seeing you here. I mean, I haven't see you in how many years?"

"Four," Rachel replied. "It has been four years."

"It's really been that long?" Puck asked in disbelief. "The last time we hung out together we were playing spin the bottle."

"Yeah, I remember," Rachel responded. "I see that you cut your hair."

Puck ran a hand through his Mohawk, "Yeah, I got it done about a year after you left, actually. And, you look really different too, Rachel. A good different. I hardly even recognized you when you came up just now."

Rachel laughed, "I know. It's going to be so weird going to school tomorrow and seeing everyone again."

"Don't worry about it," Puck replied. "You can just stick with me and Santana tomorrow and you'll be just fine. You remember Santana, right?"

"How could I forget?" Rachel asked, "She practically ate Sam the night during spin the bottle."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that," Puck responded. "Sam actually moved out to Tennessee last year. He and Santana dated for a while, believe it or not. They broke up after a six month relationship because of the move."

"Really?" Rachel asked. "I can't even picture Santana in a relationship. They really lasted six months?"

"Yeah, but it wouldn't have lasted anyways. A few months after Sam left Santana announced to us all that she swings the other way. Now she and her girlfriend Brittany have been together for 3 months," Puck explained.

"That's good for her!" Rachel said. "I take it that you and Santana have become pretty good friends while I've been gone?"

"Yeah, actually. Once we stopped trying to kill each other we realized that we had quite a bit in common. Now, I don't know what I would do without her." Suddenly, Puck's cell phone began ringing and he pulled out his phone to read his new text message. He read it quickly before looking back at Rachel. "I've got to run, but it was great seeing you again. Just remember to stick with Santana and I tomorrow and we'll watch out for you."

"Okay, and it was nice seeing you again too. I've really missed you," Rachel replied. The two old friends hugged before they went their separate ways and Rachel watched him as he walked off down the streets of Lima. She noticed that throughout their entire conversation, Finn's name never came up. Weren't they supposed to be best friends? Rachel recalled him saying that he and Santana were best friends now, and she wondered what ever happened to Finn Hudson.

Once Puck disappeared from her view, she turned around and headed back to her house. She pushed thoughts of Finn out of her head. She'd see him Monday.

* * *

Rachel walked into her house and heard the sound of the TV coming from the family room. She walked in the room and saw her dads on the couch watching the weekly weather report. She sat down on the couch next to them and watched the weatherman say what the following few days would be like.

"Hello, Rachel," her daddy greeted. "How was your stroll?"

"It was good," Rachel replied. She waited a second before continuing on, "I saw Noah."

"Really?" her dad asked, giving Rachel his full attention. "How has he been?"

"Good," Rachel told them. "He has a Mohawk now. It's ridiculous."

"A Mohawk?" her daddy asked, shaking his head and laughing. "What on earth are we going to do with that boy?"

Rachel shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, but you were right, Dad. It was nice to see him again after all this time."

"Good. I'm glad," her dad replied. "What about Finn? Did Noah mention anything about him?"

Rachel shook her head no. "No, he never came up, and Noah even mentioned all of our other old friends. It was weird, like he was just totally ignoring him or something."

"Hmmm, that is strange," her dad commented.

Rachel stood up from the couch, not really wanting to get into a discussion about Finn Hudson. "I'm going to go upstairs to my room if you guys need anything."

"Okay, darling," her daddy replied.

Rachel left the room and walked up the stairs and into her bedroom. When she got to her room she shut the door behind her and began rummaging through the many boxes. She finally found the correct box and pulled out one of her old photo albums. She opened it up and immediately turned to the pages filled with pictures with Finn, Puck, and herself. She smiled as she gazed at all of their old memories, until she came across a picture of just Finn and herself. It was at Finn's thirteenth birthday party, and his mother took the picture when Rachel first arrived. They were smiling at each other instead of the camera, and Rachel had never looked happier. Rachel put the photo album onto the floor and threw herself onto her bed. Only one question remained in Rachel's head for the rest of the day.

_What did happen to Finn Hudson?_

* * *

**Review! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the wait! I have had to work almost four hours after school everyday since my last update, had an hour of homework, and I had to do some Christmas shopping for my parents! **

**I hope you can forgive my tardiness! **

**I don't own glee**

**Chapter Three~**

* * *

Rachel drove herself to school Monday morning, her nerves slowly taking over her body. Her knuckles were turning white from how hard she was gripping the steering wheel as she approached the school building. It wasn't the school itself that she was so worried about, but rather the reactions she would be receiving from the people she hadn't seen in years. Surely the students she hadn't seen in four years would recognize her, and they'd have to make a huge deal about the event.

Rachel pulled into the student parking lot of the school and searched for an available parking spot. Many parking spots were still available, but Rachel wanted to find the best one in the lot. After driving around for a moment, she parked next the cross walk that led to the school building. She realized that if she parked there, it would be easier for her to make it back to her can quickly at the end of the day and make a fast exit.

As soon as the car was parked, Rachel shut off the engine and stepped out of the car, scanning the area to see which students were occupying it. She saw a few students that she did not recognize standing in a group. The boys in the group were on the larger side, seeming to be very muscular and strong. They all wore football themed jackets as they stood in their circle.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rachel noticed another car entering the parking lot. The car parked on the far end of the parking lot, and the door swung open. Mercedes Jones stepped out of the car and began walking towards the school building, not noticing Rachel standing beside her car. Rachel saw that Mercedes hair was much longer now, and she seemed to be much more… _loud._ The girl wore a necklace that spelled "DIVA" in large letters and she wore bright blue jeans. Rachel smiled because the outfit described Mercedes perfectly.

Rachel watched as Mercedes waved hello to a girl that was just stepping out of her car too, and Rachel realized that she knew that girl as well. She had her hair up in a high ponytail and wore a short cheerleading uniform. The girl was Santana Lopez. Rachel considered going up to the girl and talking to her because Puck told her to, but soon a few other cheerleaders huddled around Santana and they started a conversation.

The sound of tires screeching against the pavement caused Rachel to turn around quickly to see what all the commotion was. A large truck entered the parking lot at full speed and swung into a parking spot, taking up four unnecessary parking spots. Rachel watched as the door was thrown open and an extremely large buy stepped out of the truck. Rachel shrunk down in her position and tried to stay out of the view of the terrifying boy, Dave Karofsky.

He walked through the lot, scooping the place out as if he was searching for his next prey. He continued to scan the area as he joined the group of football players.

A shorter boy wearing designer clothing happened to walk past the group, and Karofsky eyes followed the boy. Karofsky started walking behind the boy, motioning for his friends to follow. The boys cornered the shorter boy and forced him to walk towards a dumpster in the corner of the lot. Rachel watched in horror as they lifted the boy up and tossed him into the dumpster. All the football players then high-fived and walked off towards the school building.

Rachel ran towards the dumpster and extended a hand inside the foul-smelling box. The boy gratefully grabbed on to her hand and pulled himself up and out of the trash.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked, trying to ignore the terrible smell coming from the area.

The boy only nodded as he peeled off his stained jacket. "This happens to me everyday, I'm used to it by now." He pulled some garbage off of his parts and shirt. "You must be new here. I'm Kurt Hummel."

"Rachel Berry," Rachel introduced herself, "and no, I'm not new here. I grew up here actually, but I spent the last four years in California."

"I see. I moved here with my dad about three years ago," Kurt explained. He held up a duffel bag, "I should get inside and change."

"You bring an extra set of clothes?" Rachel asked, beginning to walk with him towards the school.

"I bring two, actually. One for the daily dumpster dive, and another for a slushie attack that is bound to happen at some point in the day," Kurt said.

"Slushie attack?" Rachel questioned.

"Yeah, you heard me correctly. Those Neanderthals find it entertaining to throw flavored ice into the faces of others. It burns your eyes, stains your clothes, and ruins your hair."

"That's awful!" Rachel exclaimed. "Why would they do such a thing?"

"I'm the only openly gay kid in this school. I'd be a fool to think that they'd leave me alone," Kurt replied. "Basically they think that anyone they feel is "different" deserves to be punished."

Rachel shook her head in disgust. "And the teachers just let this happen?"

"They don't care about any of us!" Kurt exclaimed. He opened the doors to let Rachel and himself into the school building. "Just make sure you stay away from anyone in a red football jacket or cheerleading uniform. A few of the cheerleaders are decent, but it would probably be best to just avoid them at all costs." Kurt stopped by the boy's restroom.

"Thanks for the help," Rachel told him, looking cautiously around the halls. She knew that she needed to keep an eye out for any trouble throughout the entire day.

"Anytime, Rachel," Kurt replied. "I'll see you around." He pushed the door open and entered the bathroom.

"Bye," Rachel said as she began walking down the hallway. She watched as all the other students stood and chatted carelessly. Rachel didn't have time to be carefree; she had to be on her guard looking for Dave and his minions.

Rachel soon had a strange feeling that she was being followed. She could practically feel someone behind her taking the same footsteps as her. She attempted to quicken her pace to escape her potential attacker, but a pair of arms grabbed her sides and prevented her from moving anywhere. Rachel quickly turned around, prepared to fight for her life, but instead was greeted by the warm smiling face of one of her childhood best friends.

"Puck! You scared me!" Rachel scolded, hitting his arm with her fist. "That was uncalled for!"

He held his hands up defensively and chuckled, "Hey! There is no need for violence! I'm juts here as your protector, remember?"

"Fine, you're forgiven," Rachel said. She pulled him along so they could continue walking down the hall together.

Puck grabbed her class schedule from her and read through the list, a frown forming on his face. "It doesn't look like we have any classes together."

"Really?" Rachel asked, sounding upset as well.

"Yeah, but our lockers are next to each other!" he said. "Follow me and I'll show you where they are at." They walked through the halls and stopped outside of the Spanish classroom. A man with curly hair was sitting at his desk inside of the classroom at the desk, writing furiously with a pencil.

Puck pointed to the locker on the end. "This is your locker, and mine is over here." He took a few steps back and pointed at a locker a little further down the hall.

Rachel attempted to put her combination in, and got the locker open on the first try. Once the locker was open, she began placing a few books inside.

"So, have you seen anyone you know yet?" Puck asked her, making conversation.

"I saw Santana and Mercedes, but I haven't talked to them yet," Rachel replied. "And I also met someone new. His name is Kurt Hummel, do you know him?"

Puck had a worried expression on his face, "Kurt Hummel? Are you friends with him now?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Rachel responded, noticing the alarmed expression on his face. "Why? Is there something wrong with me being friends with him? I know that those idiot football players pick on him and stuff, but I don't see why that would be a problem."

Puck shook his head, "No, it's not that. It's just that… just forget about it, okay. Kurt's really nice, and I'm glad you made a friend."

Rachel leaned against her locker, "Come on, and tell me. What's wrong?"

"Well, Karofsky has a habit of slushying new students, and I'm worried that you being friends with Kurt will do more to set off that habit. I don't want to see him harm you or anything like that," Puck explained.

"Thank you for the warning, but I'm sure I'll be fine," Rachel assured him. His news did worry her a little, because she did not want to find out exactly what a slushie was first hand, but she had a feeling that Puck wasn't telling her the complete truth. She couldn't help but feel like there was another reason why he didn't want her to be friends with Kurt. She let it slide thought because she knew Puck wouldn't tell her the truth right away.

"Just be careful, okay?" Puck asked her. "I need to get going, but I'll see you soon."

"Okay," Rachel agreed. "I'll see you later." She watched as he ran off down the hallway and turned down a corner. Rachel started walking off in the opposite direction, looking for her first period class. She looked at the directions for the room numbers in the building and tried to locate room 224. As she rounded a corner, she accidentally ran face first into another girl. They both went tumbling to the ground, and Rachel scrambled over to the girl she knocked over to give her an apology. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there."

"It's fine," the girl replied, getting back up on her feet. The girl looked at Rachel and gave her a strange look. "Rachel Berry?"

She smiled, finally looking to see who the girl was, "Santana!"

Santana gave Rachel a look of confusing. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in California? Or are you just visiting?"

"My dads and I just moved back over the weekend, actually," Rachel told Santana, thinking that she was going to be using that same sentence a lot.

"Really? That's so exciting! I barely even recognized you after not seeing you after four years. How have you been?" Santana asked her.

"I have been doing well," Rachel replied. "It's kind of weird being back though."

"How so?" Santana asked.

Rachel shrugged, "I don't know. It feels like this is my home, but I'm a complete stranger. Like I don't even belong here anymore. It's different, I guess."

"That is strange," Santana commented. "Have you at least seen Puck yet? I'm sure he'll make you feel like you're at home. You two were best friends."

"Yeah, I've seen him," Rachel said. She found it extremely odd that no one dared to mention Finn's name. Rachel was always closer to Finn, and everyone knew that, but no one seemed to comment on it. Did something bad happen to him? Did he move away?

"Well that's good. The three of us will have to get together sometime," Santana said. "I have to get to class, but I'm sure I'll be seeing you around."

"Yeah, I'll see you around," Rachel said. Santana left Rachel alone in the hallway again, allowing Rachel to continue on her quest of finding her first class. It occurred to her then that she probably could have asked Santana to help her find her class, but it was too late for that now.

Rachel continued on through the hallway, reading room numbers, when she heard someone behind her. She smiled, expecting to find Puck behind her again, coming to sneak up on her. She started to turn around, but instead of seeing the face of her friend, she saw a hand in front of her face holding a slushie cup. Rachel couldn't believe what was about to happen to her. She remembered Kurt's words from earlier, that the slushie stung in your eyes, so she squeezed her eyes shut. She waited for the cold liquid to come, but instead she heard the boy speak.

"R-Ra-Rachel?"

Rachel's eyes opened and traveled up the body of the boy in front of her. Her eyes widened, and she swallowed hard.

"Finn?"

* * *

**Don't hate me too much! :)**

**Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four~**

**(I don't own glee)**

* * *

Rachel's eyes locked with Finn's as his shaky hand pulled with slushie cup back towards him. He looked like he'd seen a ghost with the shocked expression he had. Rachel was in complete shock as well as she stared at the boy she hadn't seen in years. The last time she saw him was the day she had her first kiss, with him, and he promised her that he'd never forget her.

Finn was the first one to find the ability to speak. He never thought he would see Rachel again, and now that she was only a few feet away he didn't know what to do. Four years ago he was positive that he and Rachel would be together forever. He knew that they had that relationship that would someday turn into something more than friends, and once it did, she was gone. However, she now stood in front of him with those big brown eyes staring up at his, and he was clueless.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her in a hushed tone, as if she wasn't even there. He almost wanted to touch her to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Sure, he and Rachel hadn't spoken in forever, but he never went one day without thinking about her.

Rachel's eyes broke from his as she let her eyes travel down his body. She first took in the bright red football themed jacket he was sporting. She knew he played football, they were still talking when he auditioned, but she never thought he would transform into the stereotypical football player that he appeared to be. Her eyes locked onto the drink in his hand, and it terrified her to think that he had every intension of throwing it into her face until he realized who she was exactly. If it hadn't been her standing in the hallway, he would have had no problem tossing it towards the student.

"I moved back," Rachel replied, her eyes not moving from the slushie. Finally, she let her eyes connect with his again, and she tried her hardest to figure out what he was thinking. "What happened to you?"

Finn had to look away from her then. He couldn't handle the intense and hurt face Rachel was giving him. He never intended on becoming part of Karofsky's little clan, but it just sort of happened.

Rachel's eyes burned into Finn. She had so many unanswered questions. The most important one was how he ended up being one of the bullies.

Rachel watched as he pulled the slushie even closer to his body, as if to tell her that he wasn't going to throw it. She relaxed a little, knowing that he Finn was still somewhere deep inside of this imposter.

When Rachel realized that she wasn't going to be getting any answers out of Finn she spoke up, "I should get to class."

Finn nodded, still not speaking, and stepped out of her way. He watched as she walked past him, her eyes staying trained on his, and he didn't move from his spot in the hallway until she was completely out of sight.

Rachel walked around the corner and tried her hardest to keep Finn out of her mind. She found another room number direction sign, and followed it until she finally found the classroom she had been originally looking for. She gave the teacher a quick apology and an explanation for being so late, and the teacher thankfully excused her tardiness. The teacher handed Rachel a worksheet and pointed to an empty desk towards the back of the classroom. Rachel sat down in the last empty seat available and took a deep breath.

"Get lost?" the girl sitting next to her asked. She was wearing a cheerleading uniform that was identical to Santana's, and her blonde hair was pulled up into a ponytail. She wasn't looking at Rachel when she asked the question, and her eyes remained on the worksheet she was completing.

"You could say that," Rachel replied. "I've been living in California for the past four years, and I'm just now getting back. I don't remember this school being so big."

The girl shrugged, not really seeming to care about Rachel's story. Rachel brushed off the girl's ruddiness and started filling out her own worksheet. She watched as the blonde girl wrote her name on the top of her paper before she stood up and turned her paper in. _Quinn Fabray_ was her name. Rachel didn't recognize her from a few years back and figured she must have recently moved to Lima. Rachel pushed it out of her mind, the girl probably didn't matter, it wasn't like she was going to ever associate with Rachel anyways.

* * *

Rachel held her lunch tray close to her body as she looked around the crowded cafeteria. She hadn't really taken this into much consideration, but she should have been more worried about finding someone to sit with during lunch. Sure, she already had a few friends at the school, but she had no knowledge of their lunch table location. She noticed a table full of boys in red jackets and she made herself a mental note to never go near that table.

She noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and quickly realized that it was Santana waving her over to the table she and Puck were occupying.

Rachel let out a sigh of relief and walked over to join the on the other side of the cafeteria. She plopped her tray down on the table next to Puck's and sat down in one of the chairs.

"Hey," Puck greeted, scooting over a little to give Rachel more room to sit down. "How's the first day going?"

Rachel gave him a weary look, "It was alright."

"What happened?" Puck asked her. "Did you have a run-in with one of those idiot jocks over there?"

Rachel looked tween Santana and Puck, not knowing how to answer his question. She noticed as Santana gave her a strange look, and she turned to give Santana her attention.

"You ran into Finn, didn't you?" Santana asked her, and Rachel was surprised that Santana figured it out so quickly.

Rachel nodded her head. "I don't understand. What happened to him?"

Santana shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know, ask Puckerman."

Rachel turned towards Puck, her eyes pleading for him to give her a straightforward answer.

"It happened not to long after you and I lost touch," Puck started. "I'm assuming you two lost contact too, right?"

Rachel nodded her head, ready to hear the story.

"Finn and I lost touch only a few months after you left. I mean, I talked to you on the phone all the time at first, but when it came to Finn and I, our friendship wasn't the same anymore," Puck continued. "Soon enough, he started playing football, which was cool and all because he seemed to really enjoy it, but Karofsky had to ruin it for him. At first Finn was smart and stayed away from Karofsky and his friends, but for some reason he eventually started hanging out with them."

"Wasn't it around the same time his mom started dating that one guy?" Santana asked.

"Yeah," Puck replied. He turned to face me, "Did you hear about his mom's boyfriend, or did the two of you fall out of touch by then?"

Rachel shook her head, "I never heard about a boyfriend. We lost touch right after he started playing football."

"Well, his mom did start dating someone. I guess Finn was pretty beat up about it because unlike his mom's past relationships, she actually seemed to really like this guy. When his mom finally married the guy I think it might have sent Finn over the edge," Puck explained.

"So, what? He became friends with Karofsky and them because everyone else on his life was leaving him?" Rachel asked them.

Santana shrugged, "I don't know why else he would start hanging around them. Or the stupid Ice Queen."

"Ice Queen?" Rachel repeated.

"Yeah, Finn's girlfriend," Puck said. "She treats him like garbage and is probably the meanest chick in the whole school, but he's still with her."

Rachel sat back in her chair, letting the entire new information sink in. She had always been so sure that Puck would turn out to be the bad one, and Finn would be the one to stay good. However, she now sat next to Puck while Finn was off helping his friends toss innocent kids into dumpsters and shoving flavored ice into their faces.

"I can't believe he turned out this way," Rachel commented. She looked between Santana and Puck. Neither of them had any knowledge of what happened the night she found out she was leaving. As far as they knew she and Finn parted as just friends. Of course, everyone knew that Rachel always had a little crush on Finn, and the other way around too, but they never mentioned their relationship advancements to anyone else.

"Is everything okay, Rachel?" Santana asked, bringing Rachel out of her thoughts.

Rachel snapped back to reality and glanced over at Santana. "Yeah, everything is fine. I was just thinking."

Santana nodded and sat back in her seat. She watched as Rachel slipped back into deep thought, and she was pretty sure she knew exactly what was going on in the brunette's head.

* * *

"So, what class do you have next?" Puck asked Rachel as they walked together through the halls after lunch.

Rachel looked at her schedule. "Next I have Calculus in room 137."

"Calculus? Already? Most kids aren't taking that here until their senior year! How are you taking it as a sophomore?"

Rachel shrugged, "I skipped a few math levels in California. I guess I'm a little ahead here too."

"Yeah, I guess so," Puck chuckled. He steered Rachel down another hallway. "Room 137 is down this hallway."

Rachel followed Puck's guidance as they walked towards the Calculus room. "You don't have to walk me to class, you know. I think I can manage on my own."

"What? And just leave you alone out here when you have no idea where your room is?" Puck asked.

"You could have given me directions," Rachel replied. "I just feel like I'm being a bother."

"You're not being a bother, Rachel," Puck insisted. "Besides I don't have to be anywhere else because my class is around this area too. It's no big deal, trust me."

Rachel didn't argue back and simply continued walking next to her friend down the hallway, thoughts of Finn still flooding her mind. She leaned closer to Puck so he could hear her next words without her having to shout. "You guys said that Finn is dating an Ice Queen? Who is she?" Rachel was growing more curious about this girl by the minute, not only because she was said to be vicious and Rachel wanted to avoid that, but also because she wanted to know who Finn chose instead of waiting for her.

"I don't know if you've met her yet. Her name's Quinn Fabray," Puck replied.

"Quinn Fabray?" Rachel asked, "Blonde hair and cheerleading uniform?"

"That's the one," Puck nodded. "You've met her already?"

"Yeah, I sit next to her in my first period English class," Rachel responded. "She didn't seem very friendly."

"She's not," Puck stated. "Just stay away from her and Karofsky and you'll be fine in this school."

"Don't worry, I plan on doing exactly that," Rachel told him.

They continued to walk down the hall until Puck stopped walking in front of a classroom labeled "Room 137." Rachel stopped by him and looked at the classroom door before looking back at him.

"Thanks for showing me to the room," Rachel told Puck. "I would have never found it in time."

"It's no big deal," Puck replied. "I'm happy to help you out."

Rachel smiled before backing up towards the door. "I'll see you later."

"Bye," Puck replied before walking off down the hall.

Rachel turned the corner and walked into her classroom, looking for a place to sit. She was worried when Puck said that mostly seniors take this class because she might not know anyone in the class. However, her worries vanished when she noticed Kurt sitting in the second row. Rachel happily walked over to him and sat in the seat next to him. "Hey," she said to get his attention.

Kurt looked up from his math notebook and smiled, "Rachel Berry, hello! What are you doing in this class? I heard you were only a sophomore!"

"I got ahead in math class at my old school," Rachel explained. "What did you mean by you heard that I was only a sophomore. Are people talking about me?" Rachel found it hard to believe that she was the talk of the school after half a day.

"My stepbrother's girlfriend mentioned you at lunch while I was talking to my stepbrother. I just wanted to talk to him about what to get him mom for Christmas, and instead I was forced to hear about you, cheerleading uniforms, and her homecoming queen campaign," Kurt said.

"Homecoming campaign?" Rachel asked. "I didn't know the homecoming dance was coming up."

"Oh, it's still a while away, but Quinn likes to plan ahead. She destined to win Queen," Kurt said, waving his hand dismissively.

"Wait, hold up, did you say Quinn? As in Quinn Fabray?" Rachel asked Kurt, thinking that it might be a small world after all.

"Yeah, I did. She's my stepbrother's girlfriend," Kurt replied. "Why?"

Rachel put her hands on her head as she tried to process all the new information she had been receiving throughout the day. She looked at Kurt, "Do you mean to tell me that Finn Hudson is your stepbrother, and Carole Hudson is your stepmother?"

Kurt nodded, "Well, it's Carole Hummel now, but yes. Why?"

"Before I moved to California Finn was basically my best friend in the entire world," Rachel told him. "It was me, Finn, and Noah Puckerman against the world."

"You and Finn?" Kurt asked in disbelief, "And Noah Puckerman? No way, I've never seen Finn give Puck the slightest glance, let alone a friendly gesture."

"When I moved away we kind of all fell out of touch," Rachel explained. "We didn't mean to, but it just happened. I hadn't talked to either one of them in a few years before today. You could say that I was a bit shocked to see how they turned out."

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked.

"Well, Puck hasn't changed much, it's Finn that I'm shocked by. When I left he was the sweetest boy in the world kissing me goodnight on his doorstep after his thirteenth birthday," Rachel told Kurt, not really knowing why she had to include the fact that she and Finn kissed. In a way, she just wanted _someone_ to know that it happened.

"Are we talking about the same Finn here?" Kurt asked.

"He's different now," Rachel defended. "I don't know how he let it happen, but it did. He's the exact opposite of the Finn I used to know and love."

Kurt shrugged his shoulders, "The only Finn I've ever know is the one who tossed slushies and bullied people."

Rachel face forward. "I know that my Finn is still in there somewhere, I'm just worried that I won't be able to get him back."

The teacher walked in before Kurt could respond, leaving Rachel lost in her thoughts of Finn and leaving Kurt wondering what his stepbrother might have been like before he "changed."

* * *

**Review! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm sorry for the wait :/ I wish I could say I'm rewarding you guys with a long and super good chapter, but this one is actually going to be a time filler chapter in a way. I can promise you that the next few chapters will be longer and really set up the story. **

**I don't own glee**

**Chapter Five.**

* * *

Rachel froze in the hallway, her face scrunching up in disgust. She never thought she'd see him this way, and she wasn't sure how she felt about everything. One minute he was all for her, promising a future together and letting her give him a birthday kiss on his front porch, and the next minute he was team Quinn, sucking face with her against the school lockers.

Rachel watched as his hand moved around to Quinn's back, moving lower and lower. Quinn's own hand reached behind her and slapped his hand away, breaking the kiss for a moment to scold him for his actions. To end her rant, Finn attached his lips to hers once more, silencing her, as their kisses grew more frequent.

Rachel wasn't sure why she couldn't take her eyes off the couple. She was only hurting herself by watching, and she knew that. She was just so ashamed for Finn Hudson. She _missed _Finn Hudson. She wanted the Finn Hudson that was goofy, loveable, and didn't really give a damn about what people thought of him. She craved the Finn that came to her rescue on the playground and helped her to the nurse's office.

Dave Karofsky separated Finn and Quinn's fused lips, and patted Finn on the back. Quinn laughed at something Karofsky said, and Finn received a high-five from the terrifying boy. The three engaged in a conversation, laughing along together without a care in the world, and Rachel felt tears brimming in her eyes. He wasn't supposed to be like this. He was supposed to come out gold, wanting to be with her, not Quinn.

Rachel finally turned her face away form the group and walked the other way down the hall, keeping her eyes fixated on the floor beneath her. She hugged her arms around her body and walked away towards her first class.

Though all signs pointed towards the answer Rachel feared the most, she still had high hopes for Finn Hudson. She had one piece of evidence that was in her favor. If the Finn she knew were really gone, he would have thrown that slushie in a heart beat, but he didn't. He protected her, and Rachel knew Finn was still there.

* * *

Rachel maneuvered through the packed school cafeteria towards the lunch table she shared with Puck and Santana. She noticed that Puck and Santana were already occupying the table when it came into her view and she rushed over to join them.

Once Rachel reached her destination, she placed her lunch box on the table and sat down in her usual seat. Before she could say anything, Santana sprang to life, beginning to talk animatedly.

"Great, you're here! I can finally tell you guys my story," Santana began, looking between Puck and Rachel frantically.

"She's been excited to tell us something all day long and she refused to tell me until you and I were both here," Puck explained to Rachel before giving Santana his undivided attention.

"It's a good story and I didn't want to have to tell it twice," Santana told him. "Anyway, I went over to my girlfriend Brittany's house last night. It started off like any other night when I go over there, but everything changed when we got to her bedroom."

"What happened?" Rachel asked her curiously, hoping that this wasn't going to be some R rated detailed story.

"She had a ton of rose petals spread out on her bed spelling the word 'homecoming,'" Santana told them. "It was the most adorable thing ever!"

"Aww," Rachel replied, placing a hand over her heart, "That is so cute." She nudged Puck with her elbow, "Isn't that cute?"

"Adorable," Puck replied with an eye roll. He looked at Santana, "That's the big news you made me wait all morning for?"

"It's fantastic news," Santana shot at him. "How did you ask whichever lonely, low self-esteem cheerleader you're taking?"

Puck raised his shoulders, "I haven't asked anyone yet."

"What?" Santana asked, her eyes widening. "You, the guy who had a total of three dates last year, don't have a date?"

Puck shrugged his shoulders once more, "I haven't gotten around to it yet."

Santana shook her head, "I can't believe this." She turned towards Rachel, "Have you gotten any offers yet?"

"Nope," Rachel told her, shaking her head. "I just moved back here, no one really knows who I am yet. I'll probably just go alone."

"I'm sure you'll get asked," Santana said, "but if you don't, you can always come with Britts and I."

"Really?" Rachel questioned, a little surprised that Santana would offer to do that. "That'd be great. I'll be sure to get back to you on that."

They continued on with their lunch as Santana kept asking Puck about his homecoming date situation. Puck seemed to be getting a little offended by Santana's constant accusations, but Rachel didn't invest in it too much. She sat back and enjoyed her lunch, laughing at the bickering going on between the two friends.

**(A/N: If I accidentally write prom instead of homecoming, just pretend like it says homecoming. I've caught myself accidentally doing it a few times, so just take no notice to the error.)**

* * *

Rachel headed over to her Calculus class after lunch with Puck by her side. It was becoming their usual routine since their afternoon classes were right next to each other. Rachel was laughing along with Puck about some jokes they shared from their childhood as they walked along the hallway.

Being friends with Puck again made Rachel happy because it did remind her of her amazing childhood. Puck was one of the best friends she ever had, and she was absolutely thrilled to have him back in her life again. Even if she couldn't have Finn at the moment, she was happy to have a part of her childhood back.

They stopped outside of the classroom and said their goodbyes.

"Have fun in math," Puck told Rachel, leaning against the wall outside of the Calculus room.

"Thanks, you have fun in your class too," Rachel replied.

Puck surprised her by suddenly giving her a hug goodbye. Rachel returned the gesture, but was very shocked by the action. Even as children, Puck was never the hugger, that job always belonged to Finn. Rachel still hugged her friend back anyway, enjoying the fact that she and Puck were such close friends again.

"All right," Puck said, pulling away from the hug. "I'll see you later."

"Bye," Rachel said, slipping into the Calculus room. She took her seat next to Kurt and said a friendly hello to him.

"I saw what happened out there," Kurt suddenly said. "I thought you said that you and Puckerman were just friends."

"We are," Rachel assured him. "Friends hug."

"It seemed like it meant a little more than a friendly hug," Kurt said.

Rachel rolled her eyes; "I've been best friends with him since I was 6. It's not like we haven't hugged before."

"What ever you say," Kurt replied. He organized the materials on his desk before he turned to Rachel again. "Do you have any crazy plans for the weekend?"

Rachel shook her head, "Nope, no wild parties scheduled for this weekend. What about you?"

"I was just planning to watching all the Broadway classics I have on DVD tomorrow night," Kurt told her.

"Really? I love Broadway! My favorite is definitely Funny Girl," Rachel informed him.

"I love that one!" Kurt exclaimed. "I don't suppose you'd like to come over this weekend and join me in my movie marathon?"

"I'd love to!" Rachel replied. "What time is your marathon starting?"

Kurt thought for a moment. "Why don't you come over around 3:00 so we can get a ton of movies in."

"I'll be there," Rachel promised.

The teacher stepped in the classroom then and started the lesson, beginning to talk about codes in matrices. Rachel noticed that Kurt had slipped her a piece of paper. She took the piece of paper and unfolded it to read what Kurt wrote her. He had written his address down, and Rachel knew that address. As she read the words on the paper Rachel froze in her seat. It was the same address of the house Finn grew up in. Rachel remembered that Kurt and Finn were step brothers.

Rachel's eyes widened.

She was going to Finn's house.

* * *

**Review :)**

**I might not be able to update tomorrow like I originally planned because I'm going snowboarding with my dad. So, in case I don't have time, Merry Christmas everyone! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**So incredibly sorry for the wait! I haven't really been in the biggest glee mood lately, and the words just weren't coming out right. **

**I don't own glee **

**Chapter Six.**

* * *

Rachel walked onto the front porch of a house she knew all too well. She inhaled sharply as she glanced at the door frame. The last time she stepped foot on the property was the night she had her first kiss with the boy who left her with so many broken promises. She could still remember the feeling of his lips on hers as they kissed goodbye. She remembered the feeling of her fingers wrapped around his as they sat on his bed that night. She remembered the feeling of knowing there was once a boy out there that felt just as strongly about her as she did about him.

Rachel took a deep breath as she pushed Finn from her mind. She raised her hand and knocked on the front door, hoping that it wouldn't be Finn that answered the door. She heard the light echo of footsteps from inside the house that grew louder with each step towards the door.

The door finally swung open, revealing a smiling Kurt on the other side. He greeted her with enthusiasm as he stepped to the side so Rachel could enter the house. The two friends shared a hug before Rachel allowed her eyes to wander around the familiar room.

The house hadn't changed much since she last saw it. Photos from Finn's childhood were still hung along the walls and she smiled as her eyes landed on a picture of Finn's first birthday. Rachel noticed that pictures of another young boy were placed between Finn's pictures, and Rachel assumed the boy in the pictures was Kurt.

Rachel smelled the scent of cookies being baked in the kitchen, and her stomach growled at the thought of Carole's homemade cookies she used to bake all the time. Whenever she came over during her childhood, Carole would send Rachel home with a whole plateful of her mouth-watering cookies.

"Is that Carole in the kitchen?" Rachel asked Kurt, already making her way towards the kitchen. "I haven't seen her in years!"

Kurt followed closely behind Rachel as she walked into the kitchen. Once Carole heard the footsteps entering the kitchen she started to turn around to see who the footsteps belonged to. As soon as Carole noticed Rachel's presence in the room she let out a gasp and rushed over towards the girl.

"Rachel!" Carole exclaimed, pulling Rachel into a tight hug. "What on earth are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in California?"

Rachel pulled away from the hug and beamed brightly at Carole. Since she grew up with two fathers, Carole was always like a mother to Rachel. Rachel had forgotten how much she truly loved Carole. "I just moved back, actually," Rachel explained. "Kurt and I recently became friends, and he invited me over for a movie day."

Carole looked at Kurt, "When you said you were having a friend over, I never would have never guessed that the friend was Rachel Berry!" She turned back towards Rachel, "How have you been?"

"I've been absolutely wonderful! California was great, but I am happy to be back here. It's been really nice seeing everyone again," Rachel replied, thinking at Finn for a moment. It was then that it hit her. If Carole was just now finding out that Rachel was back, that meant that Finn never even mentioned her presence to his mother. The revelation stung a little, but Rachel tried her best to push the feeling aside as she widened her smile for Carole.

"Well, I am very happy your back," Carole smiled. "The cookies should be ready, I'll have to make a plate of them for you before you leave."

Rachel mouth watered at the thought, "That sounds lovely. Thank you, Carole."

"Sure thing, sweetie," Carole responded, smiling as she watched Kurt and Rachel go down to the basement to start their movie marathon.

Rachel's quick pace to the basement slowed as she took in the sight of the room. Just as the rest of the house, it was exactly as she remembered it last. The furniture was still the same, the same large television was placed in the corner, and the lights lined the ceiling. Her eyes moved towards the center of the room where they played spin the bottle on the night of Finn's birthday party. She and Finn had been so close to kissing, but his mother ruined the moment. She and Finn had watched so many movies together in this very basement, and during every movie, they always ended up cuddling under a blanket together.

Rachel sighed contently, walking over to the couch and bringing her knees to her chest. "I haven't been down here in years," she commented to Kurt, still looking around the room. "I have so many memories in this room, but in a way it seems so unfamiliar."

"You and Finn were really good friends, weren't you?" Kurt asked, sitting down next to Rachel on the couch.

"He was my best friend in the whole world," Rachel told him honestly. "We did everything together. I mean, Puck was in our group too, but it always seemed to be Rachel and Finn against the world."

"Hey did you meet them?" Kurt asked her.

"I was swinging during recess one day during first grade, and Dave Karofsky pushed me off the swing. Finn and Puck came to my rescue and helped me to the nurse's office. We were best friends from then on," Rachel replied.

"I just can't believe Finn used to be who you said he was. I mean, the Finn I know is the Karofsky following, school bully," Kurt told her.

"I never thought in a million years that Finn would turn out to be this way. Actually, I always thought Puck would be the one to go down the dark path," Rachel said. She thought about the spin the bottle game again. "Last time I was in this basement it was for Finn's thirteenth birthday party. Finn's mom was upstairs so Puckerman suggested we play spin the bottle. Puck was his usual self, trying to jam his tongue down every girl's throat. After a few spins the bottle chose for me and Finn to kiss. Right when we were about to kiss, Finn's mom came downstairs and we had to quit the game."

"But you two ended up kissing anyway, right? I remember you told me that he kissed you on the night of his thirteenth birthday."

Rachel blushed, "Well, I kissed him, but we did end up kissing. Then right after that my dads told me we were moving."

"What do you think would have happened if you never moved?" Kurt asked her.

Rachel had never really thought about what might have happened if she never moved. "When I told him I was leaving we confessed our true feelings for each other. He liked me just as much as I liked him, and if I never moved we probably would have gotten together. No, we definitely would have gotten together. And then he would have never turned to Dave's side."

"I wonder why he even turned to Dave in the first place," Kurt said. "If everything you're saying is true, then I would think that he would still want nothing to do with Dave, even after you were gone."

Rachel shrugged her shoulders. "I have no idea. And what about Finn and Puck? They were friends before I even came along. I don't understand what could have driven them apart. Puck says that they just lost touch, but I know it has to be more than that."

"I don't really know what to tell you, Rachel. Before I met you, it seemed like Puck and Finn had never even spoken to each other. They paid no attention to each other. I would have never guessed they were such good friends at one point in time."

"Once upon a time they were the best of friends," Rachel said, a soft yet sad smile appearing on her face. She glanced over at the TV in the corner of the room. "I don't suppose you'd like to do what we actually planned on doing, do you?"

"Oh, yeah, the movie!" Kurt laughed as he hit the power button on the remote. The TV came to life just as the movie _Funny Girl_ was beginning to play.

Rachel gasped, "This one's my favorite!"

Kurt chuckled, "I know, you told me yesterday!"

Rachel stood up from her position on the couch, "I'm going to go upstairs and get a drink really fast before it starts."

"Okay, the cups are in the-" Kurt tried before Rachel cut him off.

"Kurt, I know."

"Right, sorry," Kurt laughed.

Rachel left the room and made her way up the stairs. She entered the kitchen to get herself a glass of water, but came to a sudden stop in the doorway. She watched as Finn stood in the kitchen, picking up a cookie from the plate of fresh cookies. Before Rachel had a chance to escape back to the basement, Finn turned around and noticed her standing in the doorway. His jaw dropped slightly and he placed the cookie back on the plate.

"Rachel," he breathed, obviously not expecting to see her at his house.

"I'm having a movie night with Kurt," Rachel told him, wanting to get the whole 'what are you doing here?' thing out-of-the-way.

"Oh," Finn replied, shifting from one foot to the other. "So, you came back from California?"

"Yeah, we got our old house back and everything," Rachel told him, glad that their conversation was going better than their last one.

"That's cool," Finn said, seeming to calm down from his surprised reaction by seeing Rachel again.

"I should probably get back to the movie," Rachel said, completely forgetting about the drink she was planning to get. She turned around and started walking back towards the basement steps.

"Rachel?" Finn's voice made Rachel stop in her tracks.

Rachel turned around to face Finn, "Yes?"

He paused for a moment and looked into her eyes, letting Rachel gaze into his amazing amber eyes. "I'm really glad you're back."

Rachel inhaled deeply as a wide smile stretched across her face. "Me too." She gave him one last smile before she turned around and went back into the basement. She skipped down the stairs and sat down on the couch again next to Kurt

Kurt shook his head as he looked at Rachel's smile. He decided not to pester her about it because he was almost positive he knew exactly why she was smiling.

* * *

**Be sure to leave a review!**


End file.
